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Absinthe has a reputation for being mysterious, dangerous and a little bit wicked. Made from distilled alcohol and botanicals including wormwood, anise and fennel, this famously high-proof spirit has been blamed for everything from hallucinations to madness. It was also the drink of choice for some of the great artists and writers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

So what is absinthe, really? Is it as dangerous as its reputation suggests? Why was it banned? And what exactly does wormwood have to do with all of this? The answers are more interesting than the legend.

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What does absinthe taste like?

Trying to describe the flavor of absinthe is like trying to describe the color of the earth. There are so many variations that there really isn’t one answer.

Traditional absinthe is made from a combination of botanicals, with wormwood, anise and fennel forming the classic foundation. Anise and fennel give the spirit its familiar licorice-like flavor, while wormwood contributes a distinctly bitter, herbal character. Depending on the distiller’s recipe, you may also encounter botanicals such as coriander, peppermint or hyssop.

If you want to understand what makes absinthe different from other spirits, start with wormwood. Yes, the name sounds unpleasant, unless you’re a worm, maybe. And no, it isn’t named because crawly things live in it. The name comes from its long history as a medicinal herb used to treat intestinal worms. Which, frankly, does not make it sound any more appetizing. The traditional wormwood used in absinthe is Artemisia absinthium, a bitter plant that gives the spirit much of its distinctive character.

Wormwood also contains thujone, a compound that became notorious as the supposed culprit behind absinthe’s reputation for madness and hallucinations. The science behind that reputation, however, is considerably less dramatic than the legend.

I’ve tasted absinthes that were intensely licorice-forward and others that were much lighter and more herbal. I’ve sampled absinthes that were more yellow than green, as well as some that were a pale and pretty blue. So while the Green Fairy may have a famous color and a famous reputation, neither tells you exactly what you’re going to taste.

And then there’s the alcohol. Absinthe is strong stuff, with traditional bottlings commonly reaching 90 proof or more. But you don’t generally drink it like a shot. Water is an important part of traditional absinthe service, and adding it gradually changes both the appearance and the flavor.

So if you’re expecting a glass of licorice-flavored liquor, you may be surprised. Absinthe can be herbal, bitter, aromatic, spicy and remarkably complex. It’s one of those drinks that makes considerably more sense once you stop treating it like a dare and start treating it like a spirit.

Why was absinthe banned?

Absinthe became wildly popular in France during the nineteenth century. By the 1860s, five o’clock in Paris was known as l’heure verte, the green hour, when people gathered at cafés for their afternoon absinthe. Absinthe crossed social classes, becoming popular with military circles, artists and writers and eventually the general public. In 1900, the French town of Pontarlier alone had 25 absinthe distilleries.

With that kind of popularity, it was inevitable that absinthe would become part of the culture around it. Writers wrote about it. Artists painted it. Advertisers sold its mystique. And before long, the drink had acquired a reputation that went far beyond its bitter, herbal flavor. It was blamed for hallucinations, madness, violence and a host of other social ills. The word absinthism was even coined to describe the supposed effects of chronic absinthe consumption.

But here’s where the story gets complicated.

Because wormwood contains thujone, thujone became the ingredient blamed for absinthe’s supposedly mind-altering effects. You may have heard that it caused hallucinations or that it worked something like THC. That’s not what the evidence tells us.

At high doses, thujone can be toxic and can cause convulsions, but the amounts found in traditionally produced absinthe are not thought to account for the dramatic effects once attributed to the drink. Research into vintage absinthe found that historical thujone levels were generally much lower than later mythology suggested, with one analysis concluding that nothing besides ethanol explained “absinthism.”

But that doesn’t mean nineteenth-century absinthe was harmless. It was a high-proof alcoholic drink, and people could certainly drink too much of it. The problem was that absinthe had become the convenient villain for behavior that could have had much more to do with alcohol itself.

One of the most infamous examples came in 1905, when Swiss vineyard worker Jean Lanfray murdered his pregnant wife and two young daughters after a day of heavy drinking. When he was confronted with his family’s bodies afterward, he reportedly wept and insisted that he didn’t remember what he had done, saying that he loved his wife and children. It was a horrifying story, but it also made for a dangerously convenient one: absinthe was blamed for the crime, even though Lanfray had consumed enormous amounts of wine and other spirits that day. The case became a major argument for the campaign to ban absinthe in Switzerland.

The bans came anyway. France prohibited the production, sale and circulation of absinthe in 1915, following bans in several other countries. The United States had already banned absinthe in 1912.

For decades, the Green Fairy was pushed into the shadows, where the mythology around her only seemed to grow.

Then she came back.

Absinthe began making its way back into European markets in the 1990s as countries reconsidered their old prohibitions. In the United States, the federal government established its policy for absinthe labeling and sales in 2007. Modern products sold as absinthe must meet federal requirements concerning thujone. The TTB specifically considers a product “thujone-free” when it contains less than 10 parts per million under the FDA testing standard.

So, yes, you can legally buy absinthe in the United States today. Just don’t expect the bottle on the liquor-store shelf to be quite the same thing as whatever was being poured in a Parisian café in 1895. The spirit has survived, but the rules surrounding it have changed considerably.

How do you drink absinthe?

Absinthe is traditionally diluted with water before drinking. The classic preparation, called louching, is as much about the experience as it is about the drink. As water is slowly added, the clear or vividly colored spirit turns cloudy and opalescent as its botanical oils come out of solution.

Traditionally, the absinthe is poured into a special glass, like the one depicted in Édouard Manet’s painting The Absinthe Drinker. A flat, slotted absinthe spoon is balanced across the rim of the glass, with a sugar cube placed on top.

Three or four ounces of cold water are then slowly poured over the sugar cube and through the slotted spoon. As the sugar dissolves and the water mixes with the absinthe, the drink louches, turning cloudy. The spoon is then slipped into the drink for a final stir before the absinthe is ready for drinking.

Sugar was traditionally used to make absinthe more palatable by softening its bitterness. But some of today’s more finely crafted absinthes are balanced enough to enjoy without it.

What about the flaming sugar cube?

You may have seen absinthe served with a flaming sugar cube. This “fire ritual” is not actually a traditional way to serve absinthe, though many absinthe enthusiasts mistakenly consider it a throwback to La Belle Époque. It is a modern adaptation of louching associated with Bohemian-style absinth, rather than a nineteenth-century French tradition.

I’ve also been told by bartenders and mixologists that the fire can help mask the flavor of inferior absinthes. Having tasted a few bad absinthes myself, I can see how a little pyrotechnics could add appeal to booze with little flavor appeal.

Can absinthe be used in cocktails?

Absolutely. Absinthe is used in a number of classic cocktails, although it is usually used in small amounts because its flavor is so distinctive.

But remember that absinthes can vary wildly in flavor. One bottle may be intensely licorice-forward while another is much lighter, herbal or spicy. That makes it difficult to follow an absinthe cocktail recipe successfully unless the recipe specifies the particular absinthe it was developed with. A different bottle can change the character of the entire cocktail.

So if you’re experimenting with absinthe cocktails, pay attention to the type of absinthe called for in the recipe rather than assuming that any bottle will produce the same result.

Why is absinthe considered an aphrodisiac?

I consider absinthe an aphrodisiac not just because of the wormwood and possibly additional aphrodisiac herbs, but because of the traditional presentation. The ceremonial preparation makes this drink something special.

There is something inherently sensual about taking the time to indulge in absinthe’s preparation ritual. As you slowly add the water, the color changes as if by magic as the aromas release and heighten your senses. The whole process creates anticipation before you even take the first sip.

And that matters when we’re talking about aphrodisiacs. An aphrodisiac food doesn’t necessarily have to produce some dramatic physiological response. Sometimes the pleasure, anticipation and sensory experience are part of what makes something sexy.

There is also the history. Absinthe became deeply associated with artists, writers, cafés and the sensual excesses of nineteenth-century European culture. That doesn’t make it a pharmacological aphrodisiac, but it certainly contributes to the drink’s seductive reputation.

So while I wouldn’t tell you that absinthe is going to magically turn you into a creature of seduction, I do think there is something wonderfully wicked about serving the Green Fairy to someone you want to romance.

Just remember that this is a very high-proof spirit. The traditional preparation with water isn’t merely decorative. Diluting absinthe makes it considerably easier to drink and allows you to appreciate the botanicals without treating a bottle of potent liquor like a drinking challenge.

And that, more than anything, may be the real appeal of absinthe. It asks you to slow down, pay attention and enjoy the experience.

This article was written in 2011 and most recently updated in October 2026 with a new introduction, updated research and links.

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Amy Reiley

Eat Something Sexy's Creator & Editor-in-Chief Amy Reiley is the award-winning author of five aphrodisiac cookbooks. She has her Master of Arts in Gastronomy, awarded by Le Cordon Bleu and The University of Adelaide. She is also a Certified Nutrition Coach awarded by the International Sports Sciences Association and she is a California Certified Massage Therapist.

Amy is considered a leading authority on aphrodisiacs. Her work in aphrodisiacs is quoted in publications including National Geographic, The New York Times, Epicurious, Wine Enthusiast, Health and Playboy magazines. She speaks internationally on aphrodisiac foods and has brought her knowledge of aphrodisiac history and science to national television shows including The Today Show and CBS Early Show. She is a frequent guest on relationship and lifestyle radio and podcast shows and has been interviewed by BBC and NPR radio, Cosmopolitan radio and popular podcasts including My Dad Wrote a Porno.

Amy is also a freelance food, wine and health researcher and writer as well as a wine competition judge. Her work has appeared in publications ranging from Variety to The Daily Meal. She is an MSN content provider. And she is also a former wine editor for Gayot.com and wine & spirits editor of Las Vegas magazine.

Fun fact: Amy was the creator of the first ever comprehensive food and wine apps, Amy Reiley's Pocket Gourmet and Amy Reiley's Pocket Vineyard for Palm.